gmé | issuu 79

GolfManagement Europe

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The new spa at Rudding Park has revitalised the Yorkshire club, and helped to increase leisure

business both on and off the course. page 25

two flag game hits europePowerPlay Golf rolls out golf club programme across Europe after major TV launch at Celtic Manor

issue 79july 2011

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publisher’s editorial

Timing, they say, is everything. and certainly, with regard to this leader they may have a point.

It is being written just days before HM Revenue and Customs’ 56-day deadline for appealing the decision which deter-mined the VaT liability of green fees for member clubs. HMRC could choose to retire quietly, but I hope they don’t.

The situation is patently unfair.If the money raised from members at a

‘non-profit making club’ is insufficient for them to break-even, how can it be fair for them to compete in the same mar-ketplace for pay-and-play golfers when they don’t have to levy 20 per cent on a round, whereas a proprietary-owned club, two miles down the road, has to charge VaT?

It makes a mockery of the ‘no-profit’ tag and if this ruling goes unchallenged, it will widen the gap even further, and could be the final nail in the coffin for many proprietary-owned golf clubs.

In a press release issued by the English Golf union (EGu) it stated it was “very pleased to announce” the results of the test case, which suggested the EGu is in-terested only in looking after the interests of private clubs and not the industry as a whole.

admittedly it did amend the statement on its website, adding that it “will con-tinue to support the actions being taken by proprietary clubs... which seeks to improve the VaT position for proprietary

clubs” but for many club owners who had seen the release the damage was already done.

KPMG brought the test case on behalf of Bridport and west Dorset GC and of course the financial giant will be delight-ed. It will have a decent fee for its work whether by virtue of an agreed rate or a percentage of the refund.

and, with the EGu referring other member clubs to KPMG, it may well turn out to be a ‘nice little earner’. But not for the proprietary-owned clubs who will go to the wall.

This VaT test case may be just the start of a domino effect with far-reaching consequences. already the scottish Golf union (sGu) has said it feels clubs may be entitled to pay-outs of up to £480,000.

and Gary Moore of VaT services (scotland), which works with the sGu has been reported as saying “This is fantastic news for golf clubs.”

no, Mr Moore. This is fantastic news for the likes of VaT services (scotland) and KPMG. The majority of golf clubs just want a level playing field. GME

have KpMG opened a VaT pandora’s box?

Michael [email protected]

following its launch at Celtic Manor, PowerPlay Golf rolls out its club programme in Europe.

7

Ross McMurray discusses the pressures involved when designing a Ryder Cup course.

19

Queenwood has just replaced 18 greens in ten days thanks to white Horse Contractors.

28

former GCMa member alan Knight discusses why he’s left golf to run a country pub.

37

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“This VAT test case may be just the start of a domimo effect with far-reaching consequences.”

4 GME julY 2011

Kingsbarns Golf links has announced the appoint-ment of alan Hogg as its new chief executive, who moves to Kingsbarns from the upscale golf resort Golf & Vital Park in Bad waldsee in southern Germany.

Having spent most of his professional career in Germany, Hogg utilised his experience to deliver a customer service focused strategy at the resort.

at the same time, he earned an open university Diploma in Golf Business Management in 2006 at the

Institute of sport, Recreation and Tourism in Düsseldorf.

Born and raised in scotland, the former PGa touring pro is expected to take up his new position at the beginning of september.

Commenting on his appointment, Hogg said: “I am very much looking forward to taking up this position at Kingsbarns.

“It has deservedly earned a reputation as one of the finest golf courses in the world. This is a rare opportu-nity to work at such a pres-tigious course with its capa-

ble management team, and after having worked overseas I am well aware of the high regard in which Kingsbarns is held within the golfing community.”

headline news

on june 1, 2011 the first-Tier Tribunal delivered judge-ment in The Bridport & west Dorset Golf Club limited vs. The Commissioners for Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (Bridport).

Bridport is the test case taken by KPMG in determin-ing the liability to VaT of green fees for non-profit making golf clubs.

The case was heard in february of this year.

The arguments on behalf of the golf club were that uK VaT legislation limiting exemption only to member-ship fees was more restric-tive than the authorising European legislation for non-profit making bodies.

KPMG took the view that there is no material distinc-tion for exemption purposes between membership and green fees and that green fees did not represent “addi-tional income” but income directly relating to the princi-pal objects of the club.

The Tribunal has deter-mined that green fee income in the circumstanc-es of Bridport is exempt from VaT and that uK legislation couldn’t be relied on.

on the question of “addi-tional income” the Tribunal determined that only where income from green fees were earned on an ad hoc or occasional basis with a view to raising extra funds for purposes other than general running costs would it be “additional income” and thus fall outside of the exemption.

HMRC were given 56 days in which to decide whether to appeal against the judgement, and at the time of going to press, no deci-sion had been announced regarding any appeal.

It is KPMG’s view that at least in part due to the find-ings of fact on “additional income” it is likely to be a difficult judgement to appeal.

all claims will be subject to verification.

as part of the verification the claims will need to be updated in respect of VaT overpaid in the last two years.

KPMG have also advised that claims for the middle period (1996-2005) and the compound interest aspects of the case will remain stayed pending resolution on the leading cases on these issues.

Both the English and scottish Golf unions have welcomed the news, with the sGu claiming that pay-outs of up to £480,000 could be due to scottish clubs.

It is understood that many clubs in scotland are already preparing to lodge bids to reclaim large sums of tax.

scottish Golf’s develop-ment manager andy salmon said: “The tribunal decision will be warmly received by many clubs, some of whom could be set for a significant financial boost. we have been moni-toring the situation closely with our partners at VaT services and keeping our member clubs informed of the progress.

“Clubs have faced very challenging circumstances over the past three years, and those who have submit-ted claims – no matter how small – will hopefully benefit from this decision.

“we strongly urge clubs to take professional VaT advice to ensure that they are realising any opportunity that might exist as a result of this ruling.”

bridport & West Dorset win VaT test case against hMrc

The uK Golf Course owners association (uKGCoa) and The organisation of Golf & Range operators (oGRo) have joined forces to host the Golf Business and Industry Convention (Golf BIC) at the Marriott forest of arden, March 29-30, 2012.

The two-day event will feature a number of thought-provoking semi-nars and discussions, designed to aid golf course and range owners and operators to enhance their businesses.

oGRo chairman Colin jenkins said: “Golf BIC is open to all golf course range owners and golf operators, and all details of the event for exhibitors, owners and operators will be contained in our new dedicated website – www.golfbic.com – which has been designed specifically for the event.”

Kingsbarns Golf links appoints new boss hogg

Donald Trump has lodged plans for the next step in his £750m Menie golf resort, in scotland.

The famed us billionaire has applied for permission to build an access road linking his Menie Estate course to

the a90 aberdeen to Ellon road.

The proposed route – which will be more than a mile long – will provide access to the main champi-onship links, as well as the clubhouse and other facili-

ties that are currently under construction.

work on Trump’s golf course site was reported to be “ahead of schedule” with the Hawtree-designed course set to open next summer.

link road proposed for Trump links


news

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The Toro Company has become the latest major machinery manufacturer to pledge its support for the International Golf Course Equipment Managers association’s new Certificate Programme.

launched last month, the programme provides turf equipment technicians with education and accredita-tion tailored to the repair and maintenance of turf equipment.

The IGCEMa’s CEo, stephen Tucker, said: “The Toro Company has support-ed us in the development of the programme from the initial concept, which further demonstrates its commit-ment to supporting the ongoing education of equipment technicians.

“a structured certificate programme is only valuable if the golf industry recognises it, and having Toro on board strengthens its value.”

swan Golf Designs has announced a new partner-ship in China. as of july 1, 2011 sGD will be represent-ed in China and East asia by andrews Times Golf Management (aTGM), based in shenzhen.

Raymond Tang, manag-ing director of aTGM, will act as sGD’s representative in China, assisting with the promotion, marketing, project sourcing and client

liaison, whilst sGD will use the aTGM offices in shenzhen as a Chinese base from which it can carry out their project design and management duties.

since first working in China in 2004, sGD has been able to broaden its reach throughout asia. now, with the support of aTGM, the team at sGD is looking towards a larger presence in the East asian market.

Commenting on the asso-ciation, william swan said: “we are looking forward to seeing our business relation-ship with Raymond Tang and his group flourish as we return to one of the most dynamic markets in golf development.

“The opportunities for golf in China are yet to be fully understood, and sGD intends to be at the forefront of their realisation.

“Raymond has demon-strated a strong appreciation of the history of golf and together with his profession-alism and dedication, we are sure that he is the right man to partner with in China.

“our collaboration will see sGD’s design expertise and project experience teamed with aTGM’s market pres-ence and cultural under-standing, enabling us to better serve our clients.”

swan forms chinese collaboration with aTGM

Toro signs up to iGcEMa certificate programme

6 GME julY 2011

news

Braemar Golf and Com-pagnie Generale Immo-biliere (CGI), one of the largest developers in Mo-rocco have incorporated a joint venture company in Morocco to deliver the whole range of golf man-agement and advisory services which Braemar Golf currently offer.

A golf car donated by Club Car which was used by Colin Montgomerie during last year’s Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor raised £50,000 in aid of the seve Ballesteros foundation invitational event at wentworth Club on May 23. The Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course (Kau sai Chau), Hong Kong, has become the first golf facility in asia-Pacific to achieve the coveted GEo Certified™ award – an internation-ally recognised sustain-ability assurance from the Golf Environment organi-zation.

Sport England has given its support for the England Golf Partnership’s (EGP) plan to boost adult par-ticipation. adult partici-pation rates as measured by sport England’s Active People Survey are below the agreed target for 2011-13 and, follow-ing discussions with the EGP, sport England has reduced its funding by £107,023 for that period.

Yas Links Abu Dhabi, the uaE’s newest and highly acclaimed championship course, has bolstered its Golf academy teaching team with the appoint-ment of Craeg Deery as PGa teaching golf profes-sional.

in briEf;

The Belfry, is using the latest GPs technology to remotely control its golf car fleet, optimise course main-tenance, pace of play and drive additional revenues.

The former Ryder Cup venue and home of the PGa in the uK, has boosted its golf-car fleet with 80 of the latest electric Club Car Precedent i2 and i2l vehi-cles, all fitted with the

Visage GPs mobile golf infor-mation system.

Director of golf at The Belfry, Gary silcock, explained that just one person can now remotely control where golf cars drive on the course with a simple map-based computer appli-cation: “Visage is invaluable in allowing us to programme a golf car’s movement on the course,” he said.

“The system has enabled us to create virtual buggy paths. so, when it’s wet, we map out a buggy route on the computer along which the cars can travel but cannot deviate because of the automated GPs control.

“what’s important about this is that it will increase the number of days the golf cars are operating in the wet without adversely affecting course condition.”

Visage technology also enables The Belfry to send golfers messages about pace of play, control car speed, check the battery and disable the car when parked to prevent misuse.

Phil lewin of GPsI, which makes the Visage system, said: “The purpose of Visage is to benefit both the player and the golf course opera-tor. The course operator can control where the car goes, limiting it to designated areas and preventing the car from going into any hazards, water, car parks, or out of the course.

“Visage is the only system that can control the engine of the cart in this way.”

silcock impressed with Visage at The belfry

Modry las Golf Club has announced the appoint-ment of stewart snedden as its director of golf. The newly created role is part of a phased series of improve-ments that has already seen the Polish course named as one of Europe’s best tracks.

snedden, who joins Modry las from the highly regarded swanston Golf Club in his native scotland, took up his position in May.

The 46-year-old admitted the chance to take up the role was too good an opportunity to miss: “The course is challenging and beautifully designed.

“To come here is a privi-lege,” he commented.

“Modry las has estab-lished itself as one of Europe’s top courses, and in my opinion, it could host any tournament from any of the tours.”

snedden in pole position at Modry las

The official opening of the onyria Palmares Beach & Golf Resort, in Portugal’s algarve, was performed by the man who has designed the 27-hole complex to stun-ning effect: american course architect Robert Trent jones II.

The three loops of nine holes – the alvor, lagos and Praia courses – enjoy expan-sive panoramic views across the Bay of lagos, following a

development which has fulfilled the potential of a glorious and natural environ-ment.

The alvor is predominantly parkland, on the elevated areas of the site; lagos combines parkland and dunes and is named after the two small lakes contained within it; and Praia, laid out upon the site’s lowlands, presents a links experience through impres-

sive natural and restored coastal dunes.

Trent jones II said: “The algarve is a renowned golf destination, so when I first came here I said ‘well I have to play up here, we have a lot of good golf courses in this region’.

“But when I saw the land I thought ‘wow! Maybe once a decade I might get a piece of land to work with like this’.”

Trent Jones ii opens onyria palmares


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on the cover

facTfilE;

PowerPlay Golfforward House17 High street

Henley-in-ardenwarwickshire

B95 5aaunited Kingdom

TEl; (44) 01564 330684

WEBLinK; PowERPlaY-Golf.CoM

following its May 30 launch event at Celtic Manor, which drew a large TV audience across the world, two-flag golf pioneer PowerPlay Golf is rolling its club programme out across Europe, with backing from

swedish motoring giants saab.

Both 2010 us open Champions, Graeme McDowell and Paula Creamer, were joined by Gary Player, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, and six other Tour pros for the three-hour tournament, which was the precursor to a global series planned for 2012-2014.

To stage their own two-flag PowerPlay Golf events, golf clubs can place an online order for a ‘Club Pack’ for £70/580, contain-ing PowerPlay Golf’s flags,

posters and rules guides, plus business-building tips designed to help golf club operators to derive extra income from staging the company’s 9-hole events.

over 400 golf clubs in 20 countries across Europe have

so far become PowerPlay Golf official venues, with numbers rising rapidly as the launch gains momentum.

“PowerPlay Golf gives new purpose to 9-hole golf” said executive director andy Hiseman. “operators now have a new product with which to work their facility.

“PowerPlay Golf is an attractive new 9-hole option for golf days, which is backed by a large TV spend over the next 36 months.

”after four years of research, we know that golf-ers enjoy the format.

“PowerPlay Golf will help club operators to generate new revenues, to increase member satisfaction, and to extend their tee sheet.

“all golf clubs can sign up at nominal cost to benefit from what we are doing both on TV and at grass roots level with golf’s governing bodies.”

The company will soon announce plans for a saab-backed world amateur event, and more details of its TV events, featuring Major champions, are expected to emerge in august. GME

“PowerPlay Golf will help club operators to generate new revenues”

powerplay Golf rolls out club programme in Europe

8 GME julY 2011

news

Club Car has completed a major deal by supplying 227 new electric vehicles to De Vere, the uK-based hotel and resorts group.

The order is Club Car’s largest to date this year and consists of 203 Precedent i2

golf cars plus a range of Turf utility vehicles and Café Express mobile refreshment centres.

Daniel Hodson, director of golf at De Vere, said: “This is a significant investment for De Vere which, based on

experience, we know will deliver a return on invest-ment.

“we have been working closely with Club Car for 11 years and in that time our fleet has proved reliable and profitable, while our customers have shown a growing desire to ride – more golfers than ever hire a golf car for their round.”

Kevin Hart, national accounts manager for Club Car in EMEa said: “This new deal reflects a measured positive outlook in the market and a quiet confi-dence among golf course owners to make investments.

“There is also some indica-tion, from the level of orders we are receiving, that there is a steady increase in demand in mature European golf markets for golf cars.”

club car secures major order from De Vere

london Golf Club, a European Tour Destination and host venue of the 2008 and 2009 European open, has unveiled plans for a new five-star hotel and spa.

The proposed 130-bedroom luxury hotel and leisure development in

ash, Kent, will complement the venue’s two existing jack nicklaus-designed signature golf courses, established in 1993, and brings to fruition the vision for a world-class golf resort just 20 miles south-east of central london.

The development has been innovatively created in the style of a traditional Kentish village, and will nestle in terrain overlooking the opening holes of the Heritage Course.

following close co-opera-tion with local authority Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, planning permission has been received.

George o’Grady, chief executive of The European Tour, said: “when we announced our joint venture partnership with london Golf Club at the European open in 2009, the vision was to create a world-class golf destination.

“The golf facilities are proven at every level, from hosting full European Tour competitions to special events such as the recent Golf lIVE show, which was a huge success and attended by 13,000 golfers and their families.

“now, with the develop-ment of a striking five-star hotel and spa within convenient proximity of london and its international airports, plus fast, efficient road and rail links to conti-nental Europe and the rest of the uK, london Golf Club is set to position itself among the world’s elite golf resorts and we plan to host major European Tour events in years to come.”

o’Grady confirmed that a European Tour Regional office would be included as part of the development.

Charles fairweather, chairman of london Golf Club, said: “This is a signifi-cant hotel and leisure devel-opment for london and south-east England, and is set to become an important destination for The European Tour, international golf tour-ists from continental Europe and further afield, as well as golfers from london and the uK.”

new five-star hotel and spa for london Golf club

Machrie Hotel and links, which stopped trad-ing in 2010, has been sold for a sum in the region of £1.3m.

The buyer is a limited liability partnership owned by the former head of Goldman sachs in the uK, Gavin Davies and his wife, sue nye, former private secretary to Gordon Brown at the Treasury and as Prime Minister.

Davies was also chair of the BBC between 2001 and 2004 and, with direc-tor general Greg Dyke one of the high-profile victims created by lord Hutton’s report into the death of Dr David Kelly.

Two firms specialising in setting up, running and marketing golf resorts – Golf3000 and G3K – are to develop the Machrie facility for the Davies/nye company.

nye and Davies’ exper-tise in this field will make a strong contribution to Machrie, who have inten-tions to create a first-class golf resort with a second course and the addition of a spa to the hotel.

In spite of challenging economic times and the related industry trends of cost-cutting and non-invest-ment, the directors at the Drift Golf Club in surrey, have made their biggest single financial commitment since acquiring the club in 2001.

jonathan Connell, the club’s md, commented: “It is essential that our members’ see improvements in their club each and every year, so therefore this year the main investment will be the installation of the latest, fully-automated, irrigation system.

“Clearly with a golf club, the course is our first priority. not surprisingly the existing irrigation system, which is 30 years old, struggled to cope with the exceptionally dry june and july we encoun-tered in 2010, so we have chosen to do something proactive about it.”

Directors to invest in irrigation system


news

Eye Candy Caddies has announced that Rebecca Keen has acquired full ownership of the Eye Candy Caddies Company, and is now its full-time managing director.

Keen joined ‘The Caddies’ as sales and marketing director in mid-2010, working alongside previous owner, sarah stacey.

since then, Keen has been responsible for successfully driving new busi-

ness development, and spearheading key market-ing and branding initiatives for the Eye Candy brand.

Commenting on the acquisition, she said: “I’m thrilled to have taken over ‘the reigns’ at Eye Candy Caddies.

“The whole team and I are totally committed to taking our fantastic service to new dizzying heights with-in the heart of the golfing community.”

Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course, in aberdeenshire, has cut its waste products in half and is continuing to use innovative ways to raise its green credentials.

Cardboard which used to be sent away for recycling is now converted into compost for the grounds of the building, and water for the sprinklers is sourced from elsewhere on the estate

rather than the general supply.

In addition, a biomass unit installed two years ago uses woodchips rather than oil to create cheaper and green-er heating, and is also designed to collect rainwa-ter which is used to wash the resort’s fleet of mowers, trac-tors and aerators.

Peter walker, general manager at Meldrum House, said before he started a

waste contract with new Deer-based Keenan Recycling three months ago, he had filled about four 1,100 litre bins every week – equivalent to up to 60 black sacks.

now this has been reduced to about two-and-a-half bin-loads.

He said: “It is not so much about saving money but it is more environmentally-friendly.

“In a few years’ time we will have to separate every-thing by law, so this is defi-nitely the way forward. It is really just educating people about what can be thrown away and I think in time we can probably reduce the amount even more.”

food scraps, half-burnt logs, napkins and coffee grounds from the hotel’s many events are now sent to be composted.

Meldrum house embraces recycling contract

rebecca is Keen to succeed at The caddies

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10 GME julY 2011

news

Gareth Woosnam, head greenkeeper at oswestry Golf Club, has ordered a new jacobsen Eclipse 322 hybrid greens mower from local Ransomes jacob-sen dealer, john osman Groundcare.

The Dutch Golf federation, the scandinavian Turf and Research foundation and stig Persson, the general manager of ljunghusens Golf Club in sweden, have been awarded an Environmental Innovation award from the Golf Environment organization and its partner, global logistics company uPs. Elea Golf Club, part of the prestigious Elea Estate development, has under-lined its commitment to growing the game of golf in Cyprus, and supporting youngsters taking up the game, by launching an innovative junior annual membership that includes 25 hours of compli-mentary coaching with acclaimed head profes-sional Chris Campbell.

Rory Mcilroy’s US Open success has given fresh hope to staff at lough Erne – where the 22-year-old is touring professional – after a turbulent few months. General man-ager jonathan stapleton said phones were busy after McIlroy’s stunning victory with well-wishers and prospective guests contacting the county fermanagh resort almost immediately.

John Deere Credit has announced a new interest free finance programme for the john Deere 8700 PrecisionCut fairway mower.

in briEf;

Greg norman made a site visit to The wave Muscat recently and pronounced: “This is one of the finest golf courses I have ever produced anywhere in the world.”

The Great white shark spent most of the day exam-

ining each of the 18 holes on the course with his GwsE design team and said that he couldn’t have been more pleased with the progress that had been made since his last visit.

The australian winner of two open Championships

and 84 events worldwide commented: “This visit has enabled me to do a little fine-tuning and some tweak-ing of certain holes but no major changes are required.”

along with Michael lenarduzzi, CEo of The wave Muscat, and Christopher May, general manager of Dubai Golf, who manage The wave, norman told the assembled media that 12 holes had now been grassed and that the course was getting close to completion.

“we’re looking forward to the opening of the course,” said norman. “we have created a magnificent championship standard golf course worthy of hosting a prestigious world class tour-nament, perhaps a European Tour event, in the near future.”

norman rates The Wave as one of his best

john Deere’s new walk-behind greens mower and wide area front rotary mower will both be featured on the company’s stand at IoG salTEX 2011 this september – stand no. T42.

The sl series PrecisionCut walk-behind greens mowers have been designed to deliver a top quality finish on golf courses, tennis courts, cricket squares, bowling greens and other fine turf areas.

The mowers feature low noise and vibration levels, a powerful 4hp petrol engine and easy bedknife-to-reel adjustment.

The 180sl, 220sl and 260sl replace the previous C series models, and feature a standard 11 blade, 127mm (5in) diameter reel with true cutting widths of 46, 56 and

66cm (18, 22 and 26in) respectively. The mowers employ a fixed-head version of the patented speedlink technology now incorporat-ed on the cutting units of all

john Deere PrecisionCut machines.

This innovative design allows height of cut adjust-ments to be made much more quickly and easily.

John Deere set to show off at salTEX

Determined members at Roseberry Grange GC, in County Durham, refused to give up their course and have been rewarded after their plan to take it over from the council was approved.

loss-making and under-used, the club had been earmarked for closure by the council.

But now, five months after announcing it was contem-plating closure in a bid to help save £125m over four years, Durham County Council has officially hand-ed over the keys to the club’s former committee and, for the next 35 years.

Ray McDermott, the club’s secretary since it opened in May 1987, described it as an

“absolute massive step.” He admitted the possibility of closure had hit him hard. “I was extremely upset, having been a member of the golf club from day one,” he said.

McDermott said members decided to fight, rather than give up, and they now have a 35-year lease on a peppercorn rent for the first five years.

Members takeover roseberry Grange


news

leading international soft-ware solutions provider, nfs Technology Group, has been commissioned to deliver a new golf booking and management system for st andrews links Trust.

The uK-based company will implement the new tee-time booking and manage-ment system to cover all seven courses at the Home of Golf, including the world renowned old Course.

More than 200,000 rounds are played each year at st andrews links, which is the largest public golf complex in Europe. The old Course has hosted the open Championship a total of 28 times; the most recent being in 2010 when there was a debut major winner, luis oosthuizen from south africa.

The Trust has embarked on this software implementation project to make the back-

office administration of tee times more efficient and to ensure that there is full inte-gration across all aspects of its businesses.

This should greatly improve the process for handling tee-time bookings on the links courses and offer the Trust a variety of routes in which to do so.

Ewen Bowman, director of operations at the Trust, said: “This is a an important project for us and one which we believe will make a substantial difference to the way we assist our customers in booking tee times on the links courses.

“The new system, provid-ed by nfs Technology Group, will be much better equipped to deal with the demands of such a busy golf complex.”

nfs Technology Group will be implementing the IBs Golf Club Management

system which is a market leader in america, having been installed in more than 1400 golf clubs.

IBs system users include prestigious golf venues such as Baltusrol and the Medinah Golf and Country Club in america and the london Club and Brocket Hall in the uK.

IBs system users include prestigious golf venues such as the Medinah Golf and Country Club in america and the london Club and Brocket Hall in the uK.

Commenting on the deal, steve salter, head of golf and leisure at nfs

Technology Group, said: “we are delighted to be working with st andrews links Trust to provide them with a new booking and management system.

“we are very experienced in the golf market and will be working closely with the Trust to ensure that the new system is tailored to their requirements and those of their golfing customers.”

The implementation of the new booking and manage-ment system will begin later in the summer, when more information regarding the deployment process will be released.

nfs commissioned to deliver new booking system at st andrews

Core Functionality

Complete club management

Full integration across all your club’s departments

Full customisable business intelligence reporting

Online tee times, competitions and member accounts

CRM and Yield Management

Pro shop and F&B touch screen EPOS

Award winning service and 24/7 UK support

Contact us today:Freephone: 0800 731 8451Email: [email protected]

IBS Integrated Golf Club Management Software

Transforming Information into Insight

As used by The London Golf Club, Brocket Hall and St Andrews Links Trust

NFS_GolfMangementAd_12/07/11:Layout 1 12/7/11 10:13 Page 1

12 GME julY 2011

news

leaderboard Golf is to teach Mandarin to staff members and caddies – the first uK sporting organisation to attempt to woo the Chinese tourist market and acknowledge China’s posi-tion as a territory for golf.

Key staff at leaderboard’s courses will receive tuition from Paul noble, whilst adding Chinese language pages to its new website.

noble will provide key leaderboard staff with a grounding in Mandarin

conversational structures and greetings, as well as phrases more specific to the game of golf.

Paul Gibbons, chairman of leaderboard Golf said: “The Chinese have developed a love for golf and in a tough economic climate when golf courses are fighting hard to get new members, we felt it logical to reach out to this new tourist group and make it clear that they are welcome at our courses.

“This is more than a symbolic gesture: British busi-nesses of all types should welcome the opportunities that are presented by the new visitors, and, though there are some fantastic new golf courses in China, we want the Chinese to understand that nothing can come close to playing a round in the uK.”

leaderboard to woo the chinese tourist

The exclusive nine-hole private members’ club, Golfpark Groendael, situat-ed on the north sea coast 30 kilometers northwest of Rotterdam, has recently taken a fleet of course maintenance equipment from Pols Groep, Ransomes

jacobsen’s distributor for the netherlands.

The club, which opened in 2008, has 350 members and is renowned for the high quality of its greens. It also features a modern, purpose designed clubhouse with excellent dining facilities,

together with a small gymnasium, sauna and Turkish bath.

Marco wouters is the head greenkeeper and employs three key staff to maintain the course which is set in 21 hectares of coastal dunes.

He began his career in greenkeeping at the age of 15, in the Dordrecht area some 20 years ago before moving into golf course construction.

wouters, who was formerly assistant head greenkeeper at Goiyer Golf and Country Club southwest of amsterdam, arrived at Groendael five years ago during the grow-in period.

“Everything we do here is about quality,” he said, “and the new fleet will certainly help us as we continue to improve the playing surfaces here at Groendael.

“we have both Eclipse walk-behinds and ride-on

mowers as I like the new technology they bring to the golf course. we are close to a residential area with hous-ing bordering one side of the course.

“That’s why I specified the petrol hybrid riding Eclipse 322, because it is a very quiet mower and will cause less disturbance to our neighbours.”

Elsbeth offerhaus is the general manager and is responsible for day-to-day operations. Commenting on the new fleet she said: “we are renown in the area for the quality of everything we do here at Groendael.

“from the clubhouse with its homely atmosphere and exceptional restaurant to the high standard of golf that we offer, we aim to provide the very best for our members.

“This new equipment will ensure that Marco and his team take the course to an even higher level.”

Golfpark Groendael sign ransomes Jacobsen deal

Peter Harradine has been commissioned to design a nine-hole golf course in stugna which is nestled in a peaceful valley just south of Kiev, ukraine.

a golf course designed to enhance the natural environment and provide pleasure for all players whilst enjoying the unique tranquillity and atmos-phere of the beautiful valley and unobtrusive real estate, this is a new and unpretentious type of course for Eastern Europe.

The design has taken full advantage of the site by nestling the holes between natural wetlands, lakes and the river that crosses the site, and the layout will provide challenging shots from the back tees but the front tees will produce much easier conditions for the beginners and average players.

The community is designed by InVI of switzerland as a series of year round residential neighbourhoods set around a golf course.

a website specialising in golf car spare parts has recently been launched.

The site – carts-parts.eu – offers end users a choice of over 80 dealers throughout the uK and Europe, with an interactive map allowing users to view their location along with the location of

every dealer in the network, and in-turn, the local dealers website.

with each dealer supply-ing thousands of lines of parts and accessories to suit all cart brands including Club Car, E-Z-Go, Yamaha and Tomberlin, the site claims that you’ll find the

dealer and product to suit your every need.

orders can be placed online with direct delivery to your golf club, so whether it’s new carts, used carts or spare parts, carts-parts.eu offers you an efficient and timely solution for your golf cart needs.

Everything on offer at carts-parts.eu


news

Weller Designs Limited Golf Course ArchitectsBishops Mead House, West Street, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7DU

E I G C AEUROPEAN INSTITUTE OFGOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS

Email [email protected] www.wellerdesigns.co.uk Telephone 01252 712 127

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• Course appraisals & surveying • Concept & detailed design • Full planning application • Environmental impact assessment

• New Builds • Remodelling • Construction specification • Site supervision

Untitled-1.indd 1 18/9/09 13:08:20

one of the most experi-enced golf public relations consultancies in the uK is celebrating 21 years of serv-ice to leading organisations in the golf and leisure indus-try this summer.

Complete Golf PR was founded by Helen McDonnell in 1990 and their extensive portfolio of clients has included leading hotel chains, golf architects, manufacturers, golf clubs and resorts in the uK and Europe.

“our consultancy has always identified the specif-ic needs of each client and then created and imple-mented a promotional strat-egy to raise and sustain their profile long term,” said McDonnell. “It is a system that has worked successfully for more than two decades and is based on mutual confidence and expertise.”

The consultancy has advised a number of well known resorts and clubs over the past 20 years.

Kingsbarns Golf links has joined la Manga Club in spain to become the second venue in Europe to participate in the IMG Prestige programme.

IMG Prestige is a high end reciprocal programme comprising a network of premier golf courses and partners from across the globe. Each of the golf facil-ities invited to participate in

the programme offer excep-tional golf experiences and several are rated amongst the finest in the world.

neil Coulson, director of operations at IMG Golf Course service, said: “Kingsbarns Golf links has established itself as one of the finest golf courses in the world and we are delighted it is now part of IMG Prestige.”

“Golfers visiting Kingsbarns are assured of a great golf experience and there is no doubt this will become a very popular destination amongst the members of the clubs participating in IMG Prestige,” he added.

Kingsbarns chairman art Dunkley added: “Kingsbarns is achieving excellence in course conditioning, customer service and

marketing exposure which is being noticed worldwide.

“we are committed to further developing the golf-ing experience and we are delighted to invite members of top golf clubs to come and play Kingsbarns through the IMG Prestige programme.

“we are confident that Kingsbarns can live up to their high standards.”

iMG prestige sign Kingsbarns as second venue

helen completes 21 years of golf service

14 GME julY 2011

company profile WEBLinK; CRossoVERTEC.Co.uK

Crossover Technologies is not a new name to those who run golf clubs. The Bristol-based company has a well-deserved reputation for its extensive range of electronic point of sale systems (EPOS) which have been specifically designed to aid small to medium-sized retail businesses.

But Crossover is also an innovator, and, using contacts built up over more than 15 years working within the golf industry, the company now offers an integrated admin-istration system that provides retail, bar, membership, booking and range manage-ment.

Again, that’s not, in itself, new. Such systems are already available from other suppliers – but what makes Crossover’s offering stand out is that it is considerably more cost-effective to purchase and maintain, and it’s easy to use, being built from an operator-focussed perspective rather than from a back-end administra-tion starting point.

Crossover adhered to the old adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link – and all the top-end software and hard-ware in the world won’t be of any use if the lad who works half-a-day in the bar or pro-shop at weekends can’t enter the

information correctly.There’s never been a better time for a straight forward,

cost-effective, integrated management solution to

hit the market. The need for golf clubs to keep a tight rein on finances and know what’s being spent where and who’s spending what, is imperative.

Phil Barnard, Crossover Technologies’

managing director, explained: “Our suite of

management tools is modern, cost-effective and

constantly updated. But above all it’s fully integrat-ed and easy to use for all members of staff.

“It’s not cobbled together with piece-meal software that’s fudged to create a working system. There are standalone modules that are composite pieces of an overall suite of tools. We’ve created all the different areas ourselves and have made them work alongside and with each other area.

“And in realising that not everybody who would use the software is an IT guru it’s been made as simple as possible to use. One of our guys describes it as a ‘TOMY: My First System’ – it’s that easy. But it’s also feature-packed too; the system can provide a lot of information – with instant reporting capabilities, a lot of in-depth analysis about the club and its members is at hand courtesy of one data-base.

“But if all you need to do is to send all the members an email or produce an invoice run it couldn’t be simpler. It’s tailored to provide the maximum possible return from a simple starting platform and it’s at a price range which is afforda-ble for most golf clubs.”

The suite definitely has the X Factor – it utilises a number of Crossover’s outstanding modules, including XBar, for controlling the F&B operation; XBook, for managing on and off-line tee-time bookings, lessons, buggies, hire sets, func-tion rooms and even restaurant table bookings; XPos, the ultimate retail EPOS solution; XBall, providing customers with the flexibility of swipe cards to purchase their practice balls; and, crucially, the outstanding XClub membership system, which allows for invoicing, membership and access control to be configured to the needs of the club – and not for the club to accede to the needs of the software.

It is completely modular, so clubs can purchase as much or as little of the system as they wish to suit their own needs, from a very slimline package through to the “bells and whistles” top-of-the-range product.

Barnard added: “Our integrated solu-tion makes use of the market’s ‘best of breed’ tools. We integrate with Handicap Master and Intelligent Golf, for competi-

Crossover’s integrated management suite comes complete with the X factor writes David Bowers.

crossover has the X-factor


tions, handicaps and websites, and with Paxton Security for access control. We do this as there is no point in reinventing the wheel. We’ve closed the loop on an inte-grated system that pretty much provides anything you could ever want in a club management system.

“Working from a solitary database across the entire site, any changes will instantly be transferred to pro shop, book-ing, bar, ball machine, access control, handicap and competition systems.

“We also offer the Points4Golf membership scheme which I think has enormous potential.”

Points4Golf is a tried and tested scheme that allows golfers a totally flexi-ble and low-cost approach to golf club membership. Sometimes referred to as an executive membership Points4Golf members buy “points” which are held on account and available to redeem against green fees and other club facilities. Barnard believes it could be the way forward for many clubs.

“We keep hearing about the millions of ‘nomadic’ golfers in this country but I don’t believe they’re ‘nomadic’ out of choice,” he opined.

“Most people want to ‘belong’; they’d be a member if they could but time and financial constraints mean they are unable to justify it.

“Which means that golf clubs need to offer membership packages that appeal to these people – they don’t want to drive around the country out of choice,” added Barnard.

“And this is where a Points4Golf membership scheme comes into its own. It can run alongside a normal member-ship but the golfer buys points in a variety of packages that incentivise use and customer loyalty – the bigger the bundle the cheaper the points.”

Each time a member plays or uses the club’s facilities a number of points are deducted from their account. The club can run a flexible pricing structure so that prices can vary according to demand and points can also be used for guest play, buggy hire or lessons and topped-up with additional points at any time as required.

And, crucially, the Points4Golf system integrates directly with XPos, XClub and XBook systems making administration of the scheme a simple operation. These newer modules are part of an on-going programme of development.

“We’ve grown up with golf,” said Barnard. “Over the past 15 years we have developed our systems based entirely on what the golf market needs. We utilise the best of the latest technologies to make it easier to run the golf club on a day-to-day basis.

“For example, we know every club is different, so we made sure that the system could be easily moulded by the users themselves. This means they don’t need to call the help-desk just to update the VAT rate, or change a product group name.”

The company already has an impres-sive 800-plus pro-shops utilising XPos – mainly alongside Crossover’s auto order-ing system, Stock Trac – with many more set to join the burgeoning community as its ‘joined-up thinking’ becomes ever

more essential to clubs’ day-to-day management.

The chance to tighten up one’s finances should not be ignored in the current financial climate. So it also makes sense to use a system that doesn’t cost a small fortune to implement.

“We’ve heard some big figures being bandied about when it comes to similar, non-integrated systems, so when you consider our offering is cheaper to install and maintain than our rivals, we did wonder at first if we’d priced it incorrect-ly,” smiled Barnard.

“But our products have always been designed to help our clients – in this case, the golf clubs – save money and improve their bottom line.

“That’s our raison d’etre and we feel with this management suite we have the perfect solution.” GME

Contact us:

T: 0845 223 2410E: [email protected]: www.crossovertec.co.uk

Crossover Technologies provide over 800 sites with fully integrated, easy to use,Golf specific software.

No longer do you have to struggle with multiple systems across your site. Finallyyou have the ability to unify every aspect of your Golf Club from Membershipto Pro Shop, Bar, Off/Online Tee Time bookings, Handicap and Competitions.With just one system, you will cut down administration, free up time and save money.

Combining the latest technologies with innovative ideas, you will also be able to take advantage of recent advancessuch as the Points 4 Golf system - proven to increase your membership and attract new players to your course.

Contact us to see how we can help your Club, Range, or Shop.

POINTS4GOLF • XBALL • XBAR • XBOOK • XCLUB • XPOS

X_Techno_Ad_July'11 180x127 20/7/11 17:02 Page 1

“We keep hearing about the millions of ‘nomadic’ golfers in this country but i don’t believe they’re ‘nomadic’ out of choice.”

16 GME julY 2011

turf management WEBLinK; EVERRIs.CoM

When you’ve been the key drivers behind one of the world’s most iconic horticultural and turf brands, you could be forgiven for facing rebirth under a new name with some trepidation.

Not so for the duo behind Everris, the name chosen for the new company creat-ed by the global fertilizer and specialty products giant ICL’s takeover of the Professional arm of The Scotts Miracle Gro Company’s business back in March this year.

Reinvigorated and clearly relishing the challenges that lie ahead, they have seem-ingly cast aside the traditional bonds of the Scotts brand and embraced the multi-tude of opportunities that being part of the ICL group will bring.

It was in December 2010 that news of the takeover broke in the UK. Since then, the transition from Scotts Professional to Everris has been rapid.

Scotts is a household name across the world, with consumer products account-ing for 90 per cent of its business. If you’ve not worked in the fertilizer busi-ness however, you’ll probably be unfamil-iar with ICL. It is an ambitious player, active in mining and trading important minerals, principally potassium and potash, which has diversified into special-ty fertilizers and specialty products over the past decade.

Everris gives ICL the opportunity to complete its route to market and diversify its product offering in to Asia Pacific and Latin America and to further increase the use of efficient, enhanced fertilizer tech-nologies.

Its strengths lie in its marketing, sales and service infrastructure and its long-established relationships with the profes-sional market, which complement the access to raw materials, significant R&D investment and commitment to the orna-mental horticulture, turf and amenity and specialty agriculture sectors that its new parent company will provide.

The Netherlands-based CEO of Everris, Fred Bosch (pictured), has spent 11 years with Scotts, as vice president of sales, general manager of the EMEA region and latterly global business leader for the Professional business.

Over the past decade, he forged a strong management team that includes Joan Verhoeven, now vice president - global marketing and business develop-ment, resulting in a marked increase in the use of the company’s unique slow-release and controlled-release fertilizers technologies, and its market share in sports and amenity fertilizers, plant protection products and grass seeds.

When asked if he considered the some-what abrupt replacement of the Scotts brand with its 140 years of heritage to be risky, the pair were unequivocal in their response: “Scotts has a strong image, but professional customers’ loyalty is to our two greatest assets – our high quality brands, which deliver market-leading, cutting-edge technology, but most and to all our people, whose wealth of knowledge and passion for the professional turf sector provides them with first class tech-nical back-up, both of which we have retained in full.

Everris plans to deliver a sustainable future

“Everris is new, it’s fresh, and our new strapline –

‘Driven by innovation, inspired by nature’ –

describes our vision in one short sentence.”

Everris may not be a name that many within the golf

industry are too familiar with, but as Ellie Tait reports,

that is about to change.


Scotts Professional is now Everris.New name, same people, same products

Tel: +31 418 655700 | Email: [email protected] | www.everris.com

EVER5744 Europe intro ad 180x61 V2.indd 2 21/06/2011 09:13

“Every single individual in Everris, and each of our distributor partners, is dedi-cated to and passionate about the ‘green world’ and offering products and solu-tions of consistently high quality,” Bosch explains.

“The Scotts name was associated with innovative solutions and the Everris brand mirrors that. In the same way that Scotts was arguably the best known fertilizer company in ornamental horticulture and turf across Europe, our aim is to position Everris similarly, but our ambition reach-es even further.

“Sometimes, working with a brand that steeped in tradition, it’s hard to be seen as modern and progressive. Everris is new, it’s fresh, and our new strapline – ‘Driven by innovation, inspired by nature’ – describes our vision in one short sentence.

“As a company, we look at how the grass plant or crop looks and performs, identify nutrient deficiencies and other problems, and offer tailored solutions.

“For turf applications, we carefully analyse the environmental footprint of our products and work hard as a compa-ny to promote responsible environmental stewardship by advocating the mainte-nance of healthy turf, using less inputs, at the right time and in the most appropriate way,” concluded Bosch.

“I think our launch has clearly commu-nicated our strategic ambition as an organisation,” Verhoeven adds. “We’re pleased with the positive feedback we’ve received from customers and industry partners, and there’s much more news to come.”

Despite the fact that Everris has some of the turf industry’s strongest brand names in its portfolio, including Sierraform GT, SierrablenPlus and Greenmaster, Bosch and Verhoeven are clearly most excited about the sourcing, supply chain capabilities and research and development opportunities that being part of the ICL group brings.

The group’s R&D resources are signifi-cant. Its IMI research institute in Israel is staffed by 120 scientists dedicated to product development and the creation of new technologies.

So what is Everris hoping to achieve that will interest turf managers?

“We’re confident that with the funda-mental research investment ICL has pledged, we can make some great advanc-es in the products we supply to the turf and amenity sector,” Bosch says.

“As we gain a better understanding of plant science, we’ll continue to improve our analyses. Our core fertilizer brands are renowned for the accuracy of their nutrient release provided by our unique coating technology.

“We believe that we can improve the accuracy still further to match the grass plants’ exact needs. Sierraform GT, our slow release potassium and slow release nitrogen fertilizer is already unique, and newer generations of other turf inputs, such as wetting agents, have our close attention.”

Scotts Professional pioneered the inte-grated turf management approach with iTurf, a range of tools and practises to help turf managers use products in the most efficient, environmentally-friendly and economical way.

“Everris will continue to champion integrated turf management through iTurf,” Verhoeven confirmed. “End-users are increasingly required to keep clear records of all their turf applications and to manage their turf responsibly. Our techni-cal advisers are on hand to support them in maintaining healthy turf by applying the right amount of the right products in the right place at the right time.”

Both are clear about their goals: “We aim to grow organically and by making strategic acquisitions to have a presence in more countries. We’d like our products to set the benchmark in the turf and amenity market for quality and results, becoming the choice of every turf manag-er.

“As a company, we’d like to be the turf manager’s preferred partner, champion-ing best practice in application. Grass seed is a part of our business that we will also build upon.

“We have access to some wonderful varieties and blends that, used in conjunc-tion with our fertilizers and plant protec-tion products, enable us to work with our customers on a holistic approach to turf management – from sowing through to mowing you might say!” GME

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Time is money.By raising the bar on productivity, we lowered your total cost of ownership. Each TriFlex rider offers faster travel time between greens. The machine has no daily maintenance requirements. Fast cutting unit change-out, fluid tank level “windows”, and easy access to routine service areas are just a few features that will help save you time and money.

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toro_triflex_editrl_1pg_golf_mgmt_1-14.indd 1 1/14/11 2:05 PM


in personWEBLinK; EGD.CoM

It’s a tough job designing a golf course. Not only do you have the client’s expecta-tions weighing heavy on your shoulders but you also have your own standards to live up to, and on a limited budget.

Then there’s playability and sustainabil-ity to consider, bunker placement, routing and the green complexes. With so much to think about, no wonder only a handful of architects make it to the top of their profession.

Now consider designing a golf course that will be played by the very best players in the world for the biggest prize in golf in front of an anticipated television audience of two billion people. Imagine determin-ing the slope and gradient down of the winning putt. Getting it nearly right isn’t really an option.

That’s the task that confronted Ross McMurray of European Golf Design as he began working on the Twenty Ten course at Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. “It was interesting,” says the 46-year-old designer.

“It was ten years of my life during which the Twenty Ten course was my main priority. We started work in 1999.

“We worked on the successful bid in 2001, then we did a lot of detailed work like fly-throughs.

“When they had won the bid, we worked through the planning and getting all the commissions which took a consid-erable amount of time, so it wasn’t until 2005 that we actually started construc-tion.”

There can be few challenges as great as designing and building a Ryder Cup course. The hopes and dreams of an entire continent could fall with an errant decision or wayward plan. And then there are the practical implications of welcom-ing 244,000 spectators, an army of volun-teers and the world’s media for a week in October.

“It was a huge job, but it was only nine new holes,” says McMurray. “It was massive because we had to design in different elements, like hospitality plat-forms, and make then work together.

“We weren’t just thinking about making a nice golf course for the Ryder Cup, we were also thinking about how the specta-tors were going to get around, where they were going to view the golf from, where

ross is riding high

with time to reflect on his achievements at Celtic Manor, Mark Alexander

talks to Ross McMurray about the risks and rewards

of Ryder Cup design.

20 GME julY 2011

the hospitality platforms were going to go and how we were going to get from the clubhouse to the first tee.

“A lot of things had to change and evolve through the design process, which we probably wouldn’t have done if we were simply building nine new holes.”

Despite the rain, the thirty eighth running of the Ryder Cup produced a sporting spectacle to remember played out over McMurray’s design.

From the raucous drives on the open-ing hole to the magical putt sunk by Graeme McDowell on the 16th green, the Twenty Ten course did exactly what it had been asked to do – produce exciting matchplay golf.

“Although the weather was awful and we had delays, it was almost a good thing in the end because it showed that what we had done with the drainage and the investment that had been made had worked, and we were able to get the course playable very quickly after the torrential rain stopped.

“That was an interesting element to come out of the Ryder Cup. In fact, there was very little negative reporting about the golf course. I was confident it would be absolutely fine. At no time did I think that it wouldn’t be up to the job.”

Thankfully everything worked out well, just as McMurray predicted. After the squeegees and wellies had been put away, the greens were playable and the fairways were clear of water.

Behind closed doors, however, the pres-sure must have been immense.

Like no other project, a Ryder Cup courts the media relentlessly until the first balls are struck, and McMurray played his central role dutifully. As a result, his name, and that of EGD, would become synonymous with either the success or the failure of the Twenty Ten course. As it turned out, it was the former.

“It has certainly raised our profile, and the fact the Ryder Cup was successful also helped, despite the weather,” he notes. As ever, McMurray is understated and modest.

EGD has become one, if not the lead-ing European-based golf architectural firms of recent times. While others falter, EGD’s order books remain busy. Indeed, of the five countries to make it to the final selection stages of the 2018 Ryder Cup bidding process, two were EGD designs and a third benefited from its council.

McMurray was responsible for The Dutch – the centrepiece of Holland’s bid to bring the biggest tournament in golf to the lowlands of Europe. Opened by winning Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie in May, who also lent his signature to the project, The Dutch is a rough-and-ready links-style course that has been shaped and finished to exacting standards.

Indeed, despite missing out to Le Golf National, the established home of the Alstom Open de France, The Dutch has won many home-grown supporters with over 750 members signing up to the lavish joining fee of €43,500 and hefty annual subscriptions of €2,500.


Code: GME/07/11/GEO

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GME GEO halfpage ad RE3_Layout 1 28/06/2011 12:00 Page 1

Bearing in mind, 150 of these are corporate members, who pay anything up to €250,000 a year to play at The Dutch, Holland’s failed bid to bring the golfing public en masse to this burgeoning course may well be their windfall.

Not that McMurray believes he could have replicated his Welsh odyssey in Holland; for one thing, the place is too flat. “It was a bit different here at The Dutch because we had already completed the designs and were starting the

construction when they decided to get involved in the 2018 bid. I had more of a back seat because the design of the course had already been determined. Anyway, you couldn’t do a Celtic Manor here because it’s so much flatter.”

The lack of movement certainly didn’t stop McMurray adding some of his own. In fact, the place is littered with gradients and slopes.

And in between the bumps and hollows, the course incorporates a host of water features which have been trans-formed from straight and angular canals to meandering streams and sweeping lakes. The shift from a flat, soggy terrain to a championship-standard course is absolute.

Few companies, never mind individu-als, could boast the kind of Ryder Cup

experience McMurray has collected over the last 12 years, both in winning and loosing bids.

His contribution may not be holing the winning putt or delivering the captain’s speech, but it is just as important and enduring.

“Whatever people say about money and the Ryder Cup, you’ve still got to have a golf course that’s up to the task,” he explains when quizzed about the key elements of a successful Ryder Cup.

“Because it’s matchplay, you have to make sure there’s a good degree of risk and reward, and there are lots of options about how to play each hole, and how each hole can be set up.

“Once you’ve established that, you have to look at how spectators will get access to the course and view the golf. And you cannot dismiss the importance of corpo-rate hospitality, which needs to be in a good location these days.”

It’s difficult to say if McMurray will have another opportunity to put his Ryder Cup experiences into practice, but as ever he remains pragmatic and subdued. “It was a fantastic opportunity – you don’t get many like that,” he concludes. “I didn’t feel swamped at all, and yes there were set-backs but I just rolled with the punches.” GME

“Whatever people say about money and the Ryder Cup, you’ve still got to have a golf course

that’s up to the task”

22 GME julY 2011

environment agency WEBLinK; wasTE2waTER.CoM

Are you aware of the recent strengthening of the current criminal legislation? Have you heard about the new

additional civil powers granted to the Environment Agency?

If not, read on...This new legislation

signals a hardening of attitude by the regulator in ensuring envi-

ronmental compliance, which I think we can assume is part of a co-ordinated policy to ensure compliance with the Water Framework Directive implementa-tion timetable.

The Environment Agency’s ‘compli-ance egg-timer’ is definitely running so if

you haven’t acted yet to ensure environ-mental compliance I suggest the sooner you review your golf course maintenance operations the better!

By their very nature, golf course main-tenance operational activities are likely to cause pollution. Activities including equipment refuelling, chemical handling and equipment wash-off all pose a signifi-cant potential pollution risk, so it is very important controls are in place to mini-mise this risk.

It is a criminal offence to allow certain substances including mineral oils, deter-gents and chemicals to enter surface drains, watercourses or Soakaways, caus-ing groundwater pollution.

The EU Water Framework Directive has been running in the background since

be legal warns Earley as fines reach £250,000

a legal wash-off activity above at Berkhamsted Golf Club, and opposite, an illegal site

as Tim Earley of waste 2 water Europe explains, the Environment agency in the uK has new powers

to fine clubs that pollute the environment as much as £250,000.


it’s introduction in 2009, ‘pulling together’ the mass of earlier piecemeal environ-mental legislation (Pollution Prevention Guidelines etc.).

This Directive has an implementation period of six years with full implementa-tion required by 2015. As we are already half way through the ‘grace’ period allowed, if you have not acted yet time is

beginning to run out to ensure environ-mental compliance.

The Environment Agency have been granted new Civil Powers to assist their efforts in ensuring responsible environ-mental management. These new Civil Powers became effective January 4, 2011 and complement their existing regulatory powers.

The new sanctions now available to the Agency include a Variable Monetary Penalty (VMP) of up to £250,000.

As this legislation is EU driven I think we can anticipate tightening of the legisla-tion throughout Europe – so now is the time to act. Commenting on the new powers, a spokesman said: “Variable Monetary Penalties may be used instead of criminal sanctions for offences where imposing a financial penalty may change offender behavior and deter others and/or lead to faster resolution.”

In addition to the new civil powers granted the County Court criminal fine limit for fines imposed under the existing criminal sanctions has been increased from £20,000 to £50,000.

A major innovation to guarantee the removal of any risk of groundwater pollu-tion from golf course maintenance activi-ties has been introduced by Waste2Water.

In addition to providing a superb wash facility, the Recycling Wash-Off System treats the potential pollutants arising from golf course maintenance operations.

Equipment Wash-Off, Refuelling, Degreasing, Chemical Mixing and any other potentially polluting activities can all be undertaken on the pad, removing any risk of groundwater pollution arising from the routine activities of the mainte-nance facility.

Installing a Waste2Water System could not be easier, often retro-fitting into an existing area to minimise the budget. The Recycling System ensures environmental compliance, reduces water usage by a massive 90 per cent and tidies up one of the worst aspects of golf course mainte-nance.

So, if you are considering upgrading your facilities in order to remain legal, just give me a call. GME

“As this legislation is EU driven i think we can anticipate tightening of the legislation throughout

Europe – so now is the time to act.”

24 GME julY 2011

+44 (0)1865 784434 www.dsgtag.comContact us for a FREE on-course evaluation


club focusWEBLinK; RuDDInGPaRK.Co.uK

The opening of a new spa complex could indicate that Rudding Park is embracing its roots in the spa town of Harrogate, but the origins of the venue’s success seem to come from further afield, East Sussex in fact.

The club has a very progressive attitude towards golf, regarding both the way members are charged to play and the

environment the game should be played in. The latter is something

managing director Peter Banks has been keen to foster follow-ing negative experiences

during his formative years as a golfer.

Banks explained: “I was a junior member at a posh

golf course in East Sussex when I was growing up. My dad was a builder and we

used to have a VW campervan which we holidayed in and it doubled as his build-er’s van.

“He used to drop me off in the morn-ing on the way to work at 7.15 and I used to be so mortified by the looks that his van got as it drove into the car park of this posh golf course that I would get him to drop me off in the visitors’ car park over the road. I’ve never forgotten that.”

Looking back Banks realises it was embarrassment born of naivety and youth, but is keen to ensure no one should endure the same experience at Rudding Park.

He continued: “I really don’t see why anybody should be at all embarrassed about how they turn up or what car they turn up in, as long as their etiquette is good and they repair their pitchmarks and divots.

spa attraction at rudding park

The spa town of Harrogate has long had an association with Roman baths, but now the Yorkshire town can boast a

brand new spa complex at Rudding Park writes Lee Todd.

26 GME julY 2011

facTfilE;

Rudding Parkfollifoot

HarrogateHG3 1jHEngland

TEl; (44) 01423 871350faX; (44) 01423 872286

EMail;[email protected]

ManaGinG DirEcTor;Peter Banks

Golf ManaGEr;james King

club founDED;1995

“It’s about maintaining necessary standards without the pomp and circum-stance.

“We don’t allow jeans, football shirts or trainers on the main course. You’ve got to be wearing trousers, a smart shirt of some description and most importantly golf shoes so you don’t screw up the greens.

“I’m a firm believer in egalitarian golf. One person’s money is as good as the next person’s money. Ladies and juniors can play on Saturday and Sunday morn-ings if they book like everyone else.”

Banks laughs and agrees when it’s suggested he could be described as a mili-tant egalitarianist – and this claim is backed up by the fact that within a matter of minutes he dismisses subjects as diverse as blazers, reserved parking spac-es, sock colours and epaulettes as unnec-essary

But it appears to be an attitude that is paying off for Rudding Park and has helped draw in members who didn’t feel comfortable at other clubs in the area.

“We have a lot of artisan members,” said Banks. “I know it’s horses for courses and people will gravitate towards where they feel comfortable, but I think our atti-tude and how welcoming we are is attrac-tive to a certain type of person. One who doesn’t have any airs and graces and wants to get on and have a good game of golf.”

More importantly it seems the club also has its finger on the pulse of what golfers want when it comes to membership.

In 2009 all members were offered the chance to maintain their existing tradi-tional membership or switch to a new credit-based scheme.

The new option offers a lower initial fee alongside which members purchase a set

number of credits to be used against the rounds of golf they play.

The more credits bought in one go the cheaper they are – buying 120 credits would cost you £1 each but there is a gradual drop in price which goes down to 50p per credit for a purchase of 1,000 – and the cost of a round varies depending on when it’s played with Saturday morn-ing costing 22 credits while Monday afternoon is just six.

Should further credits be needed they can be purchased throughout the year and the result is a more flexible member-ship option which has the potential to offer much better value for money.

Following its introduction the club has maintained a steadier level of membership – around the 700 golfers mark, 550 of which are credit members – with far better levels of retention, and Banks attributes 200-300 members joining specifically because of the credit system.

He said: “We used to have great reten-tion problems. We don’t have a joining fee so there’s no golden handcuffs. People just looked at their golf at the end of the year and thought ‘I only played three times so I won’t bother renewing’. Now we’ve actually picked up those people who were feeling that at other clubs.

“With our credit scheme you only pay for the golf that you play, so members don’t get upset because the golf course is shut because it’s snowing.

“One membership club up here has adopted a credit scheme and another one is thinking about adopting one. They’re having to follow our lead to keep up; if they didn’t they’d be losing members to us. Golfers don’t have the cash so they’re looking for a cheap affordable way to play.”


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The new system is working so well that the only changes planned are to the junior section – and that is just to create a new tier of membership for those just learning the ropes in order to ensure they feel more at ease, another throwback to Banks’ days in East Sussex.

The new spa boasts four treatment rooms; steam rooms; hair, nail and beauty areas; and a small gym.

It opened in March, along with an extension which increased the hotel to 90 rooms, and is just the latest addition in what has been a steady flow of develop-ment and progress.

The Rudding Park estate was bought in 1972 by the father of Simon Mackaness, who currently owns it with his family, with a view to expanding his holiday-park portfolio. A new park was opened in 1978 but Mackaness senior saw potential for more in the site and went on to open Rudding Park House as a conference and banqueting venue nine years later.

Further development came in 1995 with the 18-hole Hawtree course, named after its designer Martin Hawtree, followed swiftly by a 50-room hotel in 1997. Next came 18 luxury holiday lodg-es in 2006 and two years later a state-of-the-art golf academy was created.

The facility is unique in the area and attracts golfers from rival clubs for prac-tice sessions. It offers the six-hole par-three Repton Course for players to hone their short games, along with bunker and chipping areas and a driving range that

can see up to 20,000 balls hit in a day at peak periods.

And even though golf has proved so successful Banks feels the spa side of the business can be just as big. He sees the new facilities as something which reaf-firms the venue’s place in the market alongside the likes of The Grove and Gleneagles.

Banks said: “For a hotel of our standard now you need to have a spa.

“It rounds it off and means that we’re that much more attractive to a younger audience and a higher-paying audience as well.

“Since the new bedrooms and spa have opened our leisure business has increased from about 15 per cent of our bedrooms to about 40 per cent.”

And the wheels of progress show no sign of stopping at Rudding Park.

The club has acknowledged that increased hotel guests will result in more golfers so has begun building a new loop of nine holes to be played in conjunction with the existing course.

Next on the to do list is a fine-dining restaurant and plans are already being made to extend the spa, with further treatment rooms and a swimming pool among the additions. This is being sched-uled to happen in the next two to three years with the ultimate aim of creating a country club-style offering.

One thing’s for sure, that little boy from East Sussex needn’t be embarrassed anymore. GME

28 GME julY 2011

course renovation WEBLinK; wHITEHoRsEConTRaCToRs.Co.uK

As anyone in golf course management golf knows, having well-built greens is an essential ingredient to running a success-ful club.

In many ways, they are the lifeblood of a club and can be the make-or-break reason why a person opts to choose one course over another. So when one of the most prestigious clubs in the country asks you to renovate all its putting surfaces in the space of just ten days, this is not a matter to be taken lightly.

This was the challenge that faced lead-ing golf course contractors White Horse Contractors Ltd this year after they successfully tendered for the job to reno-vate the greens at the much-renowned Queenwood Golf Club in Surrey.

With a reputation for excellence and a membership which includes some of the leading professionals in the world, the company knew that the pressure was on if they were to deliver a product of the high-est standard on schedule.

But with the help of some meticulous planning and close liaison and support of the greenkeeping staff and course manag-er, White Horse passed one of their most testing briefs to date with flying colours so that the venue’s greens will be ready for play again barely three months after work first started.

Colin McBeth, a White Horse contract manager who was responsible for project, said: “This sort of work has been previ-ously undertaken in the United States but, as far as I’m aware, this is the first time that anything like this on such a limited

timescale has been undertaken in Europe. I had worked on a similar project at Loch Lomond a few years ago but we had eight weeks to do the renovation then.

“Most clubs tend to do their work in September onwards after the end of the competition season but the course wanted it at the start of the summer so they could re-grow the greens.

“With the timescales involved, I had to be on site all day, every day but it was a pleasure going there every morning and there was a great deal of satisfaction at what we were able to achieve in such a short space of time.”

Working with a such a restricted time basis, White Horse, who are based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, knew that exten-sive planning and detailed project management was needed throughout to ensure that the course refurbishment was completed on time.

The firm’s in-house team of 30 skilled and experienced men worked 12-hour days from seven in the morning as they set about the task of removing the greens’ existing root zone to a depth of 150mm above the existing drainage carpet before they were then rebuilt using new root zone.

The workforce was divided into six teams with each green taking up to three days to renovate, while newly-purchased machinery featuring state-of-the-art GPS and dumpers with low-ground pressure tyres were used to ensure the highest quality product was delivered with the minimum damage to the course.

homecoming Queen

over the years, white Horse Contractors have undertaken many interesting assignments, although none quite as

challenging as replacing 18 greens in ten days. article

by Peter Simm.


As you can imagine with such a time-driven project, the British climate could have had its say in the proceedings but, for once, the weather behaved itself allow-ing the course’s greenkeepers to start re-seeding immediately after the work was finished.

McBeth said “We worked for ten days straight through. The weather could have been a major issue and caused problems but we were very lucky with it and, when it did rain, it tended to at night which washed away any excess dust.

“This project shows what we are capa-ble of as a company. We have the in-house machinery and staff to deliver on a job with a size and timeframe like this one.

“Three greens were allocated to each team and we laid down more than 400 boards to protect the approaches to the greens.

“We were very fortunate that we had a lot of assistance in organising the logistics of the operation by the course manager,” added McBeth. “The course used the time we were working to carry out other work and their greenkeepers were work-ing alongside us.

Founded in 1957 and originally work-ing in agriculture, White Horse moved into golf in the 1980s and its latest project is an illustration of the high standard of service it delivers.

Having worked extensively at a leading number of venues, the company sets the industry standard for golf course construction, drainage and maintenance.

With a series of high profile clients, the White Horse’s team has completed golf courses across the UK and Europe with services including golf course drainage and water feature consultancy and design, primary and secondary drainage installa-tions, irrigation reservoirs and water harvesting, lakes, ponds and water features construction, tees, greens and bunkers, buggy paths and walkways and renovation and maintenance.

Unlike some, the company offers a comprehensive in-house package right from the conception of a project to its completion and McBeth believes that it is this that sets White Horse apart from its rivals: “We are competitive with our pric-es and the advantage of using us is that clients know they are getting the complete package.

“Courses that use us know that all the machinery and staff is all in-house and you get the team from the moment a project is started right until it is complet-ed, so if there is a problem there is no delay in dealing with it quickly and with-out any fuss.

“What clients are paying for is an in-house team with extensive experience. All our guys are long-term employees who also have the ability to deliver a wide range of projects. They might be working on a golf course one week but then laying a cricket wicket the next.”

With expertise like that on offer, it’s little wonder that White Horse is raising the bar in golf course construction. GME

30 GME julY 2011

company profile WEBLinK; EGsInT.CoM

More often than not, most people are thinking about taking things easy and unwinding when the clock ticks around to eight o’clock in the evening.

Meeting up with friends for a drink, playing some sport or simply vegetating in front of the television, these are all methods used to relax and rid yourself of stresses after a hard day at the office.

But for one Irish golf construction company, dusk will soon signal the start of the working day as it begins work on its latest job which underlines its renowned flexibility and desire to deliver customer satisfaction at all times.

European Golf Services (EGS) has already undertaken extensive bunker renovation work at the Robert von Hagge-designed private members club Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo on the outskirts of Madrid, and the company recently started the next phase of the 36-hole complex’s upgrade.

Declan O’Malley, managing director of the company that was formed more than ten years ago, explained: “Real Sociedad is where Luke Donald won the 2010 Madrid Masters, and as part of the club’s ongoing commitment to its members, the original bunkers were in need of some refurbishment.

“We have been working closely with the club manager, Javier Calderon at the club to ensure that there has been the mini-mum amount of disruption to the members during the refurbishment work.

“We decided that in an effort to mini-mise any disruption to play, we would work through the night to ensure that the membership were able to play the course uninterrupted.

So for the first stage of the work, we started work at 4pm and worked through until 2am, and for phase two, we begin at 8pm and carry on until 6am the following morning, seven days a week.

“We have great flexibility at EGS and are willing to work around the clock to fit in with our clients’ business model to cause as little upheaval as possible, as was the case at Real Socidead.”

EGS has certainly come a long way since O’Malley took the bold decision to branch out on his own eleven years ago.

Working initially in Ireland and the UK, the firm has earned a reputation as one of Europe’s leading golf course construction companies, specialising in new course constructions and the remodelling and renovation at many of Europe’s most prestigious golf clubs.

Over the past six years the company has been involved in the grow-in and maintenance of many of the golf courses where they have undertaken work: “We have built-up our resources over the past number of years and now our eyes are now set on providing contract mainte-nance services to private owners and golf clubs throughout Europe.

“We have a wealth of experience within our team to manage an efficient mainte-nance operation which in-turn takes away a lot of the headaches from the owners and managers.”

The company expanded in 2003 moving into mainland Europe, and now employs a workforce in Ireland, Germany, and Spain, many of whom have experi-ence working throughout Europe on a range of different projects.

EGS has constructed more than 18 new golf courses throughout Europe, remodelled over 30 golf courses and undertaken refurbishment and improve-ment works at over 60 golf courses including the likes of St Mellion, Polaris World in Spain, Frankfurt in Germany and Taymouth Castle in Scotland.

At the heart of the company, is a work ethic and devotion to providing customer satisfaction and, to this end, O’Malley

as Peter Simm reports, one Irish construction company is setting new standards in customer satisfaction both

one and off the course.

Maintaining standards


understands the need to work closely with other professions within the industry such as golf course architects, agronomic consultants and irrigation and drainage designers to offer a complete turn-key solution to clients who vary from golf clubs to private developers as well local authorities.

“EGS has strengths in various sectors and we pride ourselves on producing the highest standards of work in a timely and cost-effective manner. We are a bronze patron of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, and recognise the need to have professional bodies continually raising design and construction standards within the industry, and are happy to provide our support.

“One of our great strengths is our abili-ty to project manage and the earlier EGS is involved, the better things are planned so that a project is completed on time and the customer gets the best value for money.”

Golf has suffered more than most industries as the recession has taken its toll over the last few years but, unlike some companies, EGS has been quick to adapt its approach and accept the need for flexibility within the current economic climate: “The recession in golf construc-tion hit a year ahead of everyone else, so we diversified from golf course construc-tion to course maintenance back in 2005.

“The industry needs to evolve and adapt, and we do need to make the game far more accessible than it currently is.

“I believe that we need to build more golf academies, nine-hole short courses and driving ranges that are easily located close to populated areas.

“We recently opened a par-three, nine-hole course at Marlay Park Golf course in Dublin – complete with synthetic greens and tees – which has been a roaring success. But we do need more of these types of courses for beginners.”

After such a successful first decade in business, many companies would be look-ing to consolidate but O’Malley is deter-mined that EGS continues to evolve and strengthen its position further.

Work has already started on its latest renovation project at Taymouth Castle in Scotland, following the acquisition last year by Meteor Asset Management who also intends to develop the castle into a luxury hotel.

The layout is being re-designed by Weller Designs, who are working in collaboration with Scottish golfer Stephen Gallacher, to renovate the original James Braid design.

O’Malley would like to develop the firm’s golf course maintenance operation while he has plans to expand into new markets such as Scandinavia, North Africa, and the Middle East. He added: “As well as growing our construction business, we would also like to focus on growing our contact maintenance side of the business as well.

“We have all the factors at EGS to succeed in golf.” GME

• Golf Course Construction• Renovation• Drainage & Irrigation

Specialists in:

EUROPEAN GOLF SERVICES

www.egsint.com

Tel: +353 (0)65 686 4174Email: [email protected]

For more information please contact us:


interview

Alan Knight is proud to be a former member of the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA), but after just three years in the golf industry, he’s had enough – and gone off to run a pub instead.

The former managing secretary left Ufford Park, in Suffolk, in 2010 – and while he may still walk the fairways with his friends he’s vowed not to return to work in the golf industry citing bureauc-racy and stagnation as the catalyst for his decision.

And while the loss of one man might not create a sea-change within golf, those involved in it could do worse than listen to the views of a man who had previously spent a large part of his 53 years in love with the sport.

And if you are of a nervous disposition or hold office at the English Golf Union, you might want to turn away now.

Knight, who ran several businesses after leaving a job in the city, explained: “Running a pub is definitely preferable to working in the golf industry. I was getting very disillusioned.

“A lot of guys who drink here play golf at one or other of the local clubs and when you hear the stories of what’s going on in the golf world these days I just shake my head and think ‘thank God I’m out of it’. I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

Knight is a firm believer that unlike football clubs, golf clubs should be run as a business.

although alan Knight spent less than three years

working in the golf industry, he’s not shy to spout forth

on the problems the game faces, as Paul Crosie

discovered.

The Knight’s castle

34 GME julY 2011

There is seldom a Sugar Daddy on hand to bankroll major losses unlike the Premiership. But, he believes, things are starting to look up after the formation of yet another industry association.

“The one good thing that’s happened over the past few years is the secretaries’ association becoming the GCMA which I think changed the face of it slightly. It was better because it started getting out of the mould of all the old guys, the ex-military types, who were maybe good at organis-ing things but didn’t have much of a clue about anything else.

“Very few of that type of person know how to run a business and that is what golf is all about these days.

“I’m still hearing horror stories from some clubs where their wage bill is 55 per cent of the takings – well there’s no way they’re going to make any money running like that. And there are other clubs losing money over the bar because the guys in charge have never run a business.

“If you have a former bank manager running your golf club all he’s done is managed a department and has no more experience than that.

“Any one can input figures into a computer and come up with a wage slip but unless you’re on top of where your money is going you’ll be in trouble. Clubs just borrow money and stand still. And if you stand still eventually you get left behind.”

Running a pub is not the first time Knight has run a business so he can speak from a position of some authority. But it is authority that comes in for the biggest

criticism from a man who obviously became disillusioned very quickly after taking up his job at Ufford Park in early 2008.

He opined: “Deep down the major problem is the EGU, which is in a world of its own. They don’t realise the views of the general public out there. They keep holding meetings; they keep trying to get people in but they’re very slick at responding to questions without actually giving any answers.

“You only get one chance to ask a ques-tion; they give you one answer and move on to somebody else. So you don’t get any opportunity to respond. You can’t address the money issue and how it fails to ‘trickle down’. I’ve asked questions and got the answer “you seem very suspicious about this”. Well if I wasn’t before I certainly was after hearing that. The EGU is very autocratic.

“It is asking for more and more but that money goes only to a very small elite band of golfers. If you play in county or national teams you do get a benefit from it, but nobody else does.

“Unless you’re in the top five per cent – a one or two handicapper and in the teams – you don’t get any benefit from the money. It doesn’t get funnelled back to the clubs. There are a lot of associa-tions trying to get kids involved, which is fantastic – but what about the grass-roots player who won’t benefit at all?”

Warming to the task, Knight sits down with a fresh pint poured by one of his happy team and turns his attention to the handicap system and club codes.

“Deep down the major problem is the EGU, which is in a world of its own. They don’t realise the views of the general public out there.”


He continued: “I would say ten per cent of people who play golf at clubs are inter-ested in having a handicap. There are guys who are good golfers who want to play in competitions regularly but there is 90 per cent who just want to go out and have a nice round of golf.

“There’s no obvious solution because the handicap is the standard – but the last I knew, there were still 200-plus clubs who weren’t affiliated to the EGU so how do they get by?

“They get by because they’ve probably bought a software package, monitor their own handicapping system and have a nice social group who just want to go out and play golf and enjoy themselves.

“The handicapping system has been in place a long, long time and would be very difficult to change. But if you’re a member of a golf club you should be able to play at any other course, you shouldn’t have to have a handicap so you can produce a certificate just to get on the course.

“There are still some very stuffy guys out there who insist on saying “you can’t do that at my golf club”… you have to wear a shirt and tie; you have to do this; you can’t do that; a lot of regulations.

“There are some who like to consider themselves elite golf clubs – and if that’s what they want then fine; but there are an awful lot too which are desperate for money. Why should it bother you if there’s a fourball in front of you, all good golfers, wearing jeans and trainers?

“One of my greenkeepers once told me ‘I’d rather people did wear trainers in the summer when the ground’s hard, because they’re flat shoes; there’s less cut on the grass and it keeps it better’.

“But it’s frowned upon. I always argue that if my friend has spent £300 on a pair of Armani jeans and I went to the local charity shop and bought a pair of trousers for £10 he wouldn’t be allowed into some golf clubs and I would. What’s the differ-ence? He’s still looking smart and is prob-ably a better golfer than me…”

But despite leaving the industry and now playing purely for pleasure, Knight doesn’t feel that all is lost. “Golf has room for improvement across the board,” he said.

“A lot of privately owned clubs are run by committees – a greens committee, a captains’ committee, a members’ commit-tee – they’re all contributing and up until recently a lot of the committees were run by the very narrow-minded view of you can’t do this and that because that’s the way its always been done.

“I think the credit membership scheme is fantastic for the casual golfer – if they buy X amount of credits they’re going to keep coming back. It’s a great system and one which I wanted to introduce at Ufford Park.

“From the club’s perspective you get the money upfront, so they’re going to come back and spend money in the bar – and if they don’t use their credits you’ve still got the money anyway.

“Change is a very difficult thing and nowhere more so than in golf. People need to embrace change not resist it.

“There is an opportunity now for the younger guys coming through. You’ve got to get people who can run a business; guys who have run companies and have the financial acumen to run it as a busi-ness. What it needs is for the older genera-tion to take a step aside; it needs some fresh ideas. It needs somebody who can look at a club and see what’s going wrong.

“They don’t necessarily get the best deal dealing direct with a brewer for example. There are deals out there and they should be looking around. You need to maximise every available revenue stream. It’s no good employing a secre-tary to input data into a computer if what she does can be done by you staying behind every day for an extra half-hour. That can save £20,000 a year right there. It’s not rocket science.

“Clubs need to determine whether they want to be affordable and have their course and bar packed or whether they want to be elitist and charge people £100-plus for a green fee.

“That’s an awful lot of money for a lot of people – it’s difficult enough getting £3.50 out of ‘em for a pint of lager…” he laughed.

With that he turned to serve a regular customer and engaged in conversation about that day’s news. But he’d made his point. GME

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36 GME julY 2011

range finders

On first impressions, SkyCaddie’s latest SGX model is a sleek looking piece of kit. I can’t pretend, however, that I have ever really seen the benefits of rangefinders, despite pleasing aesthetics and clubhouse credability.

However, it’s safe to say, having used this gadget for a short period and having benefitted from its abundance of shot-saving features, I am officially a convert. Simply to outline the preferable looks of the distance measuring device does not do this ground-breaking piece of equip-ment justice.

Not only is the SGX the latest offering from a company recognised as the market-leader and pioneer in the GPS category, it is also the most technological-ly-advanced and feature packed range-finder available on the market today.

Speaking from the average golfer’s point-of-view, it had to take something pretty special to convince me that there was real gain to be had from owning a rangefinder. The SGX is more than pretty special.

But surely you can’t use it in competi-tions I hear you say. Well you would be wrong as the SGX is legal for use in competitions and is approved by the

R&A. So now is literally the time to reap the benefits of this all-encompassing course management tool.

Packed with technology and features, it has been designed to help all standards of golfer shave shots off their handicaps and get more enjoyment out of the game.

Unsurprisingly, thousands have turned to SkyCaddie due to their reputation and commitment to providing members with the most accurate and comprehensive course data available.

This is achieved by adopting a process called Ground-Truth Mapping, where a dedicated team of professional mappers, led by Steve Winstone, travel around Europe hand mapping golf courses to ensure precision detail.

Working closely with golf club profes-sionals, secretaries and greenkeepers, Winstone and his team are on the pulse when it comes to updating any alterations that are made to golf courses over the course of the year.

It is this attention to detail, together with the very latest GPS technology that enables SkyCaddie to provide a level of accuracy that they claim cannot be matched by any other distance measuring device on the market.

as Sam Elder reports, mapping is of paramount importance when it comes to using GPs devices, which

perhaps explains why the skyCaddie sGX is widely regarded as the market-leader.

skycaddie dedicated to mapping accuracy

WEBLinK; sKYCaDDIE.CoM


On top of their huge consumer follow-ing, the SGX is proving to be immensely popular with teaching professionals as a training aid for their pupils. This is hardly surprising given the wealth of features on the device designed to aid course management and make data recording and analysis easy for all to use.

PGA professionals can now actively teach individuals how best to play each shot, and therefore each hole, by avoiding hazards and other no-go areas.

Furthermore, amateurs can now gage exactly how far they hit every club with the help of their pro and the SGX.

All of this is achieved through SkyCaddie’s ground-breaking Ground Truth Mapping technology and their dedi-cation to providing the most accurate course information available on the market.

Such detailed mapping allows SkyCaddie to produce innovative game improvement features for their devices, like HoleVue, IntelliGreen and IntelliGreen Pro. The former allows players to locate a yardage to any point on the hole, gaging perfect layup distances and navigating around hazards.

Jacqui Hitchcock, managing director of Skyhawke Technologies UK, said: “What we’ve done with the SGX model is create a graphical view of the entire course and included an interactive function, called HoleVue, so golfers can move their target to anywhere on the fairway.

“This will not only enable golfers to accurately select a club, but also leave their preferable approach yardage. Such benefits can only improve an amateur’s game.”

Another of the SGX’s signature features is IntelliGreen and its big brother IntelliGreen Pro. Achieved through mapping the outline of every green on the course, this allows the player to view front, middle and back distances from wherever his tee-shot may end up, no matter how wide.

The SGX automatically rotates the green to your angle, giving you distances to important hazards and landmarks.

IntelliGreen Pro takes this technology to the next level. According to Hitchcock, this feature gives amateurs the ‘Tour play-er experience’ through providing them with detailed information on the putting

surfaces: “For better play-ers, it’s like being on the Tour, where they have all the information about the green.

“For instance, if the pin is positioned at the back of the green in a hollow, the user can obtain exact distances to such contours or false fronts.”

On top of the host of features on the SGX lies an easy-to-use interactive scorecard, where the player can input advanced data including number of putts, greens in regulation, fairways hit and missed (including which side you’ve missed) as well as actual score.

All of these statistics can be quickly and simply uploaded onto SkyCaddie’s ever-growing online community, Club SG, where overall trends can be analysed for further game improvement strategy bene-fits.

So why is mapping on-foot so superior to using satellite imagery? Aside from the obvious in terms of undulation detail, satellite images simply won’t be as up-to-date as SkyCaddie’s information.

The dedicated team in charge of mapping the courses doesn’t simply record the data and leave; they’re in frequent contact with every one of the 30,000 mapped courses in the UK, ensur-ing that the information supplied to members is correct.

If a course is altered, whether that is through topography or man-made chang-es, SkyCaddie will re-map the area as quickly as possible. This is all part of the unmatched service provided to users.

This relationship with golf clubs is so strong due to SkyCaddie’s affiliation with PGA professionals and club secretaries.

This is helped by the PGA and the EGU, both part-ners of SkyCaddie, who regularly remind club representatives to keep the mapping team up-to-date with any changes that might be occurring.

A relatively new phenomenon has recently emerged into the distance measuring device market in the form of golf specif-ic GPS smart phone applications.

While they are a cheap alternative to SkyCaddie, they are nowhere near as accurate and will frequently be out-of-date.

More importantly, however, they are officially

illegal according to the R&A, due to the immovable compass found on devices such as the iPhone.

According to Hitchcock, however, such apps are a good thing: “We’ve seen that golf GPS iPhone apps are on the rise. For £15 a year, they’re bringing those who don’t want to pay £300 or £400 into the rangefinder market.

“This is fantastic, as they are getting to understand the purpose of a distance measuring device and how it can benefit their game.”

Since SkyCaddie was launched, their team of mappers have walked almost 300,000 miles – that’s 12 times around Earth – to ensure that they provide the best course information.

That’s serious dedication. GME

“We’ve seen that golf GPS iPhone apps are on the rise. For £15 a year, they’re bringing those who don’t want to pay £300 or £400

into the rangefinder market.”

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38 GME julY 2011

irrigation

There are few higher accolades to be found in golf than being associated with an Open Championship venue. For any company looking to forge a reputation for itself in a market place, having the endorsement of one of the top courses in the UK can be critical in its long-term development.

Hunter Golf, one of the leading firms in Europe specialising in irrigation, is all too aware of the importance of such relation-ships and, having spent the last decade working closely with Carnoustie Golf Links – host of the 2007 Open – it is now reaping the rewards for the time and attention to detail invested in helping the Scottish links continue to be recognised as one of the world’s best courses.

Hunter has made its reputation on the quality, reliability and innovative features found in its rotary sprinkler line and continues to set the benchmark by which other manufacturer’s rotors are judged.

The company, whose European opera-tion is based in Barcelona, first started working with Carnoustie on overhauling its rotor sprinkler system in 2001 and is aiming for the Scottish venue to be completely Hunter-fitted by the end of next year.

Its work in Scotland has not gone unnoticed and, with a growing number of installations having been successfully completed across the continent over the last few years, Hunter has extensive plans to expand its work in golf in the future.

Santi Casanella, European manager for Hunter Industries, said: “There are Hunter products on 25 per cent of the golf courses in the UK.

“From our point of view, there is no better endorsement than to be associated with one of the courses on the Open Championship rota.

“The majority of our work is in sport and leisure and Hunter is investing a lot of money in growing its golf operation.

“There is potential for a lot of older systems that are coming to the end of their lifespans and need replacing. Across northern Europe, there’s a big emphasis on system renovation.

“It’s an area that has been identified to grow. Hunter is still a family-owned company and has the values of a family company which clients find very attrac-tive.”

As one of the world’s top manufactur-ers of irrigation equipment for the land-scape and golf course industries, Hunter has enjoyed a well-established reputation as the innovation leader in irrigation.

Founded in California by industry pioneer Edwin J Hunter in 1981, Hunter Industries now has offices all across the globe and produces a full range of water-efficient products for residential and commercial use, as well as for golf course applications, including its legendary pop-up gear-driven rotors, spray sprinklers, valves, controllers, central controllers and weather sensors.

As innovation leaders, Hunter holds more than 250 product patents and 40 trademarks, starting with the Hunter PGP® in 1983 – the pop-up gear-driven rotor that revolutionized the irrigation industry.

Since then, Hunter has developed more than 100 innovative products that meet the needs of professional installers world-wide including its hugely successful G800 and G900 series which are total top serv-ice rotors (TTSs) and can be maintained from above ground.

Casanella explained: “The G800 and 900 series are TTSs and it is the only product in the market that can be accessed on the top of the ground.

“This is a massive advantage as it means you don’t have to dig to service it. You should never need a spade which is very attractive to clubs as it means they can avoid scarring on the course.

with decades of innovation within the irrigation industry, Hunter Golf has steadily grown its European golf business

as Peter Simm reports.

hunter Golf continues to innovate across Europe

WEBLinK; HunTERGolf.CoM


“The Hunter golf range is top servicea-ble. We are very cost effective compared to our competitors and are known throughout the industry as being innova-tors.”

As Hunter enters its next phase, the company is solidly positioned to continue its strong pace of innovation and it is this desire to continue to push the boundaries of development that has seen it spread its wings across Europe.

The company has recently completed installations in Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Holland, Spain, France and Hungary while one of its newest and exciting projects, the Volkswagen GolfArena Halmstad in Sweden, is poised to open to the public later this summer.

Situated on Sweden’s south-west coast, just 600 metres from the Nordic Sea shared with Denmark, it will offer many PGA pros and other professional players with a unique outdoor, year-round, prac-tice facility that will be unrivalled anywhere in the world.

The 17-hectare site includes a 365-metre range flanked by grass tees, while surrounding the range is a short-game area where golfers can hit balls up to 140 metres with a 2,170m² green in the centre.

With a practice hole with four greens and nine tees, a sports academy including high-tech swing studios, bunkers to suit all levels of ability, an area about the size of a football pitch modelled on the Himalayas putting green at St Andrews,

and some greens and tees that have undersoil heating, Halmstad has every-thing a golfer needs to practice.

And at the heart of it is a wide range of Hunter products, with the new centre fitting individually-controlled Valve in Head rotors in most of the areas from its family of TTSs.

Depending on the size of the land involved, more than 200 heads were fitted including the Hunter G870E, G875E, G880E, G990E and G995E. A variety of Hunter I20, I25 and MP rotators on block systems with Hunter ICV valves were used on the smaller tees while the control system uses Hunter ACC 2-wire decoder systems with Hunter Surveyor software and an integrated weather station.

Casanella added: “Halmstad is such a unique facility. We will be able to use it as reference site and take clients there to demonstrate our products in action and can also use it as a training site.

“The facility includes a mixture of products including decoder in head sprin-klers aad is the first place to install them in Europe. The Swedes are fanatical about golf and we’re very excited to be associat-ed with them.”

Having also completed major installa-tions in other sports including top Premier League club Chelsea, it‘s difficult not to see the Swedish development becoming the latest successful chapter in Hunter’s history and only a fool would back against their story continuing in the years to come. GME

PLAY ON

SOMETIMES IN GOLF HIGH NUMBERS ARE GOOD. Back in 1952 when brass was king, founder Edwin J. Hunter foresaw the durability, economy, and versatility of plastics for irrigation. His plastic pop-up sprinklers with gear-driven rotary mechanisms revolutionized golf irrigation and set the industry standard that still stands today. Now with a worldwide presence and a host of proven products, Hunter Golf is ready to play on for you. With decades of excellence in innovation, we don’t know the meaning of subpar.

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40 GME julY 2011

my view WEBLinK; foREsIGHTsPoRTs.Co.uK

As unpalatable as it seems, winter is not far off and that means lost revenue as the weather starts to deteriorate. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way of diverting those grey clouds?

Until scientists develop a weather-control system, however, golf pros will just have to content themselves with bringing the golf course inside courtesy of Foresight Sports’ GC2. It is the world’s most accurate ball-flight monitor and is so versatile it can also operate as a profitable golf simulator.

For the average club, the cost and space requirement of a full-size simulator is prohibitive. But the GC2 – renowned worldwide for its unrivalled accuracy – can be upgraded in stages to provide a stunning simulator experience.

Whether with a simple net and LCD set-up, or as a full-size, bespoke, immer-sive indoor golf experience, this unique, modular approach ensures cost is no longer a barrier to providing indoor coaching, practice, social and competitive golf all year round.

Instead of losing money in the winter the pro and club benefit from increased takings.

The GC2 can be used to teach and fit clubs in the dry. The simulator can be hired out in the clubhouse to members or societies or used for competitions and social events. However it is used, the club retains guests and members for longer and benefits from an increased F&B spend.

The GC2’s unique design offers unprecedented accuracy and takes just 40 seconds to set up with a simple plug-and-play operation. It is, without doubt, the ultimate coaching tool for golf profession-als – and who better to quantify that, than golf pros themselves?

PGA master professional Luther Blacklock, the head pro at Woburn GC and a Golf International teaching panel-list, lost 55 days to inclement weather last year – this year he won’t lose a single lesson and is even able to increase his teaching hours as he no longer needs the daylight.

Blacklock designed the hugely success-ful Explanar system and at his base in Milton Keynes he has combined it with a GC2-based Foresight golf simulator to the immense benefit of his pupils. He said: “It’s more accurate than other prod-

The GC2 is renowned as a superb coaching and club-fitting device, but, as Sam Frederick discovered, its use as an indoor golf simu-lator can add value throughout the coming winter months.

say hello to increased revenue during the winter


ucts on the market; the GC2 is truly port-able – so tuition is not affected by adverse weather conditions.

“It’s made a massive difference to the pupil analysis I can offer, as a golf coach, as the information is more accurate and easily demonstrable. The stats displayed by the GC2 illustrate perfectly the improvements which can be made using the Explanar.”

And if the words of one of the country’s top golf coaches aren’t enough to persuade you, how about the testimony of some of the world’s leading club manu-facturers? Or how about the patronage of Tour pros?

Six of the current world top ten use the GC2, whilst Titleist, TaylorMade, and Cleveland are recommending their approved fitting centres and stockists across Europe use the GC2 to ensure they are working with the latest cutting-edge technology and that their customers receive the best available service.

The GC2 records the most accurate ball-flight statistics on the market today, directly measuring ball flight and spin at club impact and launch and calculates carry and total distance in a split-second.

Its portability means the club pro can utilise the unit for coaching and club-fitting before hooking it up within the clubhouse simulator where it can be hired out or used for competitions. Up to 70 courses are available and the simulator can be designed to suit individual budgets and room sizes.

Its popularity and potential for compet-itive fun will mean it’s always in demand leading to a constant influx of customers. In addition, with the simulator including a projector and giant display screen, the clubhouse has the facility to show live sports events to bring more people in and generate further takings.

Rob Thole, sales manager of Foresight Sports UK, explained: “With other simu-lators, the tracking systems need bulky complete structures to be installed. But the GC2 is so compact it can be built to look like a piece of furniture, something totally at home in the clubhouse.

“Visitors would not even know it was a simulator until the bar manager or pro takes a few seconds to set it up. When not in use as a simulator or showing sports events on the huge screen, it can fold away in a matter of seconds and the space can be used for tables and chairs as normal.”

But whether it’s being used as a simula-tor, a coaching tool or an aid to club-fitting, the bottom line is... well, the bottom line.

Jim Collins, a director at Derby-based retailer Golfit, has been using the GC2 for just four months and has already reaped the benefit.

He said: “It’s had a massive effect on the business. We’ve gone heavily into custom-fitting this year and we have seen a massive increase in iron sales.

“The GC2 is the only technology you should buy.” GME

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42 GME julY 2011

Go on, admit it. I bet at some stage every one of us has walked off a golf course vowing “never again”. a terri-ble round, a couple of clubs snapped in anger and a ball thrown deep into the woods.

we feel each other’s pain; golfers have empathy. well I recently walked out of a driving range vowing “never again” – and I had been striking the ball pretty damn well, I can tell you.

The cause of my pain was our youngest son, who having just turned 16, expressed an interest in joining me and the middle son upon our visit to the range.

He had never before expressed an interest in golf. “The most boring sport I’ve ever seen,” he said as recently as this year’s Masters.

until this epiphany his sporting passions lay with football and athlet-ics. His football team had finished their last season together, as under-16s, and somebody suggested a round of golf on the local 12-holer and a curry to finish off their eight years together.

Ben borrowed an old mix-and-match set of clubs from the garage, put on the pair of trainers that most looked like a pair of golf shoes and set off with his mates to the golf course.

when he returned he was still largely unimpressed but admitted he enjoyed “smack-

ing it” with his driver. so when he discovered sam and I were heading

to the driving range he tagged along and, waving an old driver round his head like a manic majorette, joined us

in the driving bay.now both sam and I have had

lessons; we both have books on how to improve your golf game; we both have DVDs;

and we both have dozens of swing thoughts going through our mind as we address

the ball and start our take-away.

Ben has none of these. nor was he interested in being shown how to hold the club correctly, nor was he particu-larly bothered about his feet at address. not surprisingly, you won’t be surprised to learn, he didn’t bother with a warm-up or a practice swing. You can see where this is heading can’t you?

with a swing plane of just north of horizontal and feet pointing at almost where he was aiming, he thumped it more than 200 yards, as straight as an arrow. and then to rub salt into the wound he hit it straight again. and again. occasionally he sliced or hooked one, but mainly he hit them straight.

He then took my four-iron and proceeded to hit sweetly with that – something I’ve never been able to do.

“This is great,” he said, looking admir-ingly at the club. “This is my driver from now on.”

I tried to explain that a ‘driver’ was a one-wood not a four-iron and he just said: “This is MY driver now...”

sam and I have yet to make plans to return to the driving range any time soon. GME

the last word

Youngest son is driving me to distraction

“With a swing plane of around 45 degrees and feet pointing at almost to where he was aiming, he thumped it more than 200 yards, as straight as an arrow.”

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